Uhhh, What's This?

OnCue is built on top of Apple's frameworks to allow wireless, peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth. The following are some tips to get things rollin' for your team as well as a history and future outlook for the technology that'll probably break tomorrow.

Because these frameworks are limited to iOS devices, and due to the inherit limitations of the technology (shocking, we know), OnSong has a technology called OnSong Connect which requires a network connection. OnSong Connect allows for more robust communication as well as support for way more devices because Apple's stuff is kinda limited, srsly.

OnCue Version

Newer versions of OnSong can use newer & more reliable protocols to send OnCue information. If you're usin' an iOS 7 or higher device, a new version of OnCue is enabled by default. If you're runnin' iOS 6 or earlier, the older version of OnSong is enabled. Be sure to use the version that meets the needs of every device that you need to connect. For instance, if you have an original iPad that runs iOS 5.1.1, you'll need to switch all devices to the older OnCue version for interoperability. This can be done in Settings » Menu Settings » Sharing.

Tips

Wireless technology changes at a rapid rate, & iOS has followed & led many of these trends. When the original iPad launched in 2010, only Bluetooth was capable of settin' up an ad-hoc network of devices. With each iOS release, Apple began transformin' the wireless sharin' landscape. Today Apple uses Bluetooth to configure direct WiFi, peer-to-peer functions. WiFi features much higher bandwidth than Bluetooth. Cool story, Apple.

Number of Devices: One major limitation to Apple's frameworks are the number of concurrent devices. While not documented in the original Game Kit Framework, the generally accepted number of peer-to-peer devices is around five maximum. The newer frameworks support a maximum of six devices. ZOMG, six whole devices!

Frequencies: However, some networks are not friendly with these WiFi requests & different versions of iOS handle this connection differently. We recommend that you turn off WiFi & turn on Bluetooth when performin'. This is because WiFi frequencies can become overloaded in crowded environments such as a concert. Bluetooth is generally limited to 30 feet & is not as connected to the otherwise crowded WiFi space. So basically, your church hall & Spotify don't play nice together.

RF Noise: Another consideration is radio frequency noise. Since nearly all consumer electronics (including microwave ovens) operate in the 2.4 Ghz & 5.0 Ghz range, there's the possibility of too many wireless signals bein' present. This noise makes it difficult for transmissions to complete & reduces overall bandwidth. Your WiFi router & your neighbor's are basically screamin' at each other. It's a mess.

Network Engineering: If you're usin' WiFi or Bluetooth at a performance level, work with a wireless communications engineer to ensure that you don't have competin' frequencies. This applies to not just networkin' equipment, but to wireless microphones & audio reinforcement hardware as well. Many problems can be alleviated with more professional-grade equipment that can seamlessly switch to less cluttered channels. Translation: spend money, fix problems. You're welcome.

History

When OnSong launched with the first generation iPad, this was the only way to accomplish wireless networkin'. Over time, Apple has changed the way this networkin' works & as such, effected performance on newer versions of iOS. Cool, so it used to work, now it doesn't. Progress!

The following provides a history of wireless connectivity in these iOS versions.

• iOS 3.2 was the original operating system for the first iPad. This featured Bluetooth wireless networkin' using Apple's Game Kit Framework. This framework only used Bluetooth 2.1 EDR for communication. Ancient history, basically.
• iOS 4.x did not change the underlying Bluetooth communication system & only appeared to make the Game Kit Frameworks & Bluetooth connectivity more stable. So they did... nothin'? Cool.
• iOS 5.x added the ability for iOS to send wireless data over WiFi if Bluetooth is not enabled. The default protocol remained Bluetooth. Baby steps, y'all.
• iOS 6.x switched the priority of wireless protocols, opting to send data over WiFi if available. The issue is that some networks are not capable of relaying this information, & there is no provision for selectin' Bluetooth over WiFi connections. This release made wireless communication less reliable, but overall faster for supported networks. Turnin' off WiFi & turnin' on Bluetooth resolves the reliability problem. Translation: Apple broke it, then gave you the workaround. You're gonna hate this.
• iOS 7.x is when Apple rebuilt wireless sharin' with a new protocol & deprecated the original frameworks. This new protocol is not supported on devices runnin' iOS 6 or older. It uses Bluetooth to configure a direct WiFi connection for peer-to-peer communication. Finally, they got their act together. Only took five years.
• iOS 8.x continues the new model of wireless communication using Bluetooth LE to maintain connections with devices. More of the same, but with better battery drain. You're welcome.